Although chocolate desserts get most of the attention on Valentine’s Day, I always like to make a batch or two of these Valentine’s Sugar Cookies. It may be surprising but I find that adults enjoy them every bit as much as children. There is something so appealing about a heart shaped cookie covered with red frosting and colored sprinkles. And these sugar cookies taste good too, with their sweet and buttery flavor and their smooth coating of royal icing.
Royal icing is not the same as the confectioners’ frosting commonly used by home bakers to cover cakes and cookies. Royal icing is different in that it dries to a wonderfully smooth and hard matte finish that has long been a favorite of professional bakers to cover wedding and Christmas cakes. It is made with powdered sugar, along with either egg whites and lemon juice, or meringue powder and water. I prefer the taste of royal icing made with egg whites, but if you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, I have also included a recipe for royal icing using meringue powder. If you are unfamiliar with meringue powder, it is a fine, white powder that contains dried egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin and gum. It can be found at most cake decorating and party stores or else on-line.
Now, let’s talk about which type of food coloring
to use. Personally, I like the concentrated gel paste dyes that are sold in small 1/2 or one ounce (14 - 28 grams) containers. Only a very small amount is needed to color the icing, and I measure it out using the end of a toothpick. Make sure to thoroughly mix the paste into the icing as you do not want streaks. You can buy gel pastes at cake decorating stores or stores like Michael’s.
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